Obesity is a condition that affects the whole body system in a wide range from joint diseases to cancer. The most important systems affected by obesity are the endocrine and cardiovascular systems. The most important risk factor for the adult type, the second type of diabetes (Type 2 DM), is obesity. An increase in body fat confers resistance to the hormone insulin, which is released from the pancreas and is the most important regulator of sugar metabolism. So insulin gradually loses its effectiveness in the tissues. In addition, an excess of free fatty acids has a toxic effect on insulin-secreting cells (beta cells) in the pancreatic gland. In this respect, it is of great importance to treat obesity before the insulin reserves in the pancreatic glands are depleted.
The cardiovascular system is the second most important system adversely affected by obesity. Increased levels of fat in the blood (triglycerides and cholesterol) predispose to arteriosclerosis. When arteriosclerosis reaches serious levels, there is a risk of hypertension, heart attack and stroke. The risk of heart attack is 2 times higher in obese people than in people with normal weight. Scientific studies have shown that 70-90% of all hypertension patients are obese.
Sleep apnea is one of the problems that obese individuals are frequently exposed to. Sleep apnea is a disease that can bring breathing to a standstill during sleep. Sleep apnea is seen in 40% of morbidly obese individuals. Weight loss appears to be the only permanent treatment for sleep apnea.
Medical literature has shown that obesity is a risk factor for some types of cancer. In men, especially prostate and colon cancers have been reported to increase. In women, especially hormone-dependent breast cancer is on the rise. Increased cholesterol, which is the main source of the hormone estrogen, is seen as the cause.
Obesity is considered by the World Health Organization as the second preventable cause of death after smoking. Three hundred thousand deaths are attributed to obesity in the USA every year. Globally, death from obesity is much higher than death from hunger.